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MJD is being talked about as potentially the #1RB in fantasy football this year. He's subsequently getting drafted higher and higher in drafts, particularly PPR leagues where he's often being taken #1 overall. It's not unusual to read articles by industry experts who are predicting 2000 total yards from him this year. Part of their reasoning is obviously that Fred Taylor is not in Jacksonville anymore and as such MJD's touches should subsequently rise significantly. They then extrapolate what MJD could do if he receives say 50% of Taylor's touches on top of what he would normally get.
The question I want to raise is: Is MJD a lock to increase his touches per game as much as people are expecting? Could the touches left behind by the departed Fred Taylor simply be taken by some sort of combination of Greg Jones and and Rashard Jennings? Thus leaving MJD with roughly the same number of touches as he got last season? We know MJD has never been the sole RB for his team, could the coaching staff want to ensure that they don't wear down their diminutive RB by avoiding giving him the type of workload so many people are expecting from him this year?
What sort of touches are you expecting from MJD this year?
Here's a recent article regarding MJD this year:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—When the Jacksonville Jaguars break the huddle, Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) can be difficult to find.
Not just because he’s small.
The Jaguars are lining up Jones-Drew all over the field, an effort to keep the 5-foot-7, 208-pound running back from taking so many punishing hits in his first season as the team’s offensive centerpiece.
“That’s just being smart,” quarterback David Garrard(notes) said. “He’s a huge part of our offense, and we’ve got to do what we can to keep him out of harm’s way.”
Jacksonville’s philosophy has nothing to do with Jones-Drew’s durability. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio believes the former UCLA standout and second-round draft pick is probably the toughest runner in the NFL.
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2009, f…
AP - Aug 15, 3:42 pm EDT
NFL Gallery
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But without Fred Taylor(notes) sharing carries, the Jaguars want to ensure that Jones-Drew stays healthy all season. So they’re trying to minimize the number of times he’s tackled by mammoth defensive linemen and hard-hitting linebackers.
Jones-Drew has lined up at running back, fullback, receiver and quarterback. He’s been in the backfield, in the slot and out wide. He’s gotten the ball on handoffs, pitches, screen passes, flair passes, bubble screens, quick slants and deep routes.
He even threw a touchdown pass in the team’s first scrimmage last weekend, so there’s no telling what he’ll do in Jacksonville’s preseason opener Monday night at Miami.
“I’m just trying to be ready to do whatever the coaches ask—play receiver, run the ball, block, return kicks,” Jones-Drew said. “Whatever it is, I’m willing to do it.”
Jones-Drew did plenty in his first three seasons.
He ran 530 times for 2,533 yards, caught 148 passes for 1,408 yards and scored 40 touchdowns. Only San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) has more touchdowns (61) than Jones-Drew since 2006.
Despite starting just three games and running behind an injury-depleted offensive line in 2008, Jones-Drew led the Jaguars with 824 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. He also caught 62 passes for 565 yards—more than any other running back in the league—and two scores.
He had some problems, though.
After fumbling just once as a rookie and twice in 2007, Jones-Drew fumbled six times last season. Five came in the final four games.
Nonetheless, the Jaguars were convinced he could be the cornerstone of the offense. They released Taylor in February, parting ways with the team captain after 11 seasons, and gave Jones-Drew a five-year, $31 million contract that included $17.5 million guaranteed.
They also started tweaking the playbook.
“I think he’s one of the premier playmakers in the league,” Del Rio said. “Certainly for us he’s a guy we’re going to give plenty of touches to. So whether we’re handing him the ball, throwing him the ball, whether he’s blocking, he’s a real good football player and we’ll do different things to get him involved.”
And keep him out of the training room.
“As far as taking hits, we’re going to monitor how much he gets like anybody does with their backs,” Del Rio said. “Regardless of who is carrying the ball, you’re always monitoring the number of reps, and you have a target and a goal. There will be games when you don’t get to it and you want to do it more, and then there will be times where maybe you go beyond it and you realize that you’re probably going to be sore the next day. That’s all part of it.”
Jones-Drew is eager for more, even willing to take on a “Larry Johnson(notes) workload.” Johnson set an NFL record with 416 carries in 2006, and added 41 receptions.
Jones-Drew doesn’t anticipate getting that many touches, not with Greg Jones(notes) and rookie Rashad Jennings(notes) in the mix for playing time. But he could get close to 400, if he stays healthy.
“The league has changed thanks to Brian Westbrook(notes) and Marshall Faulk(notes),” Jones-Drew said. “You can throw a short pass to a running back and it’ll be just like a carry because you’re getting the ball at the line of scrimmage. But you’re getting it in space and not taking the hits.”
The question I want to raise is: Is MJD a lock to increase his touches per game as much as people are expecting? Could the touches left behind by the departed Fred Taylor simply be taken by some sort of combination of Greg Jones and and Rashard Jennings? Thus leaving MJD with roughly the same number of touches as he got last season? We know MJD has never been the sole RB for his team, could the coaching staff want to ensure that they don't wear down their diminutive RB by avoiding giving him the type of workload so many people are expecting from him this year?
What sort of touches are you expecting from MJD this year?
Here's a recent article regarding MJD this year:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—When the Jacksonville Jaguars break the huddle, Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) can be difficult to find.
Not just because he’s small.
The Jaguars are lining up Jones-Drew all over the field, an effort to keep the 5-foot-7, 208-pound running back from taking so many punishing hits in his first season as the team’s offensive centerpiece.
“That’s just being smart,” quarterback David Garrard(notes) said. “He’s a huge part of our offense, and we’ve got to do what we can to keep him out of harm’s way.”
Jacksonville’s philosophy has nothing to do with Jones-Drew’s durability. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio believes the former UCLA standout and second-round draft pick is probably the toughest runner in the NFL.
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2009, f…
AP - Aug 15, 3:42 pm EDT
NFL Gallery
ADVERTISEMENT
But without Fred Taylor(notes) sharing carries, the Jaguars want to ensure that Jones-Drew stays healthy all season. So they’re trying to minimize the number of times he’s tackled by mammoth defensive linemen and hard-hitting linebackers.
Jones-Drew has lined up at running back, fullback, receiver and quarterback. He’s been in the backfield, in the slot and out wide. He’s gotten the ball on handoffs, pitches, screen passes, flair passes, bubble screens, quick slants and deep routes.
He even threw a touchdown pass in the team’s first scrimmage last weekend, so there’s no telling what he’ll do in Jacksonville’s preseason opener Monday night at Miami.
“I’m just trying to be ready to do whatever the coaches ask—play receiver, run the ball, block, return kicks,” Jones-Drew said. “Whatever it is, I’m willing to do it.”
Jones-Drew did plenty in his first three seasons.
He ran 530 times for 2,533 yards, caught 148 passes for 1,408 yards and scored 40 touchdowns. Only San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) has more touchdowns (61) than Jones-Drew since 2006.
Despite starting just three games and running behind an injury-depleted offensive line in 2008, Jones-Drew led the Jaguars with 824 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. He also caught 62 passes for 565 yards—more than any other running back in the league—and two scores.
He had some problems, though.
After fumbling just once as a rookie and twice in 2007, Jones-Drew fumbled six times last season. Five came in the final four games.
Nonetheless, the Jaguars were convinced he could be the cornerstone of the offense. They released Taylor in February, parting ways with the team captain after 11 seasons, and gave Jones-Drew a five-year, $31 million contract that included $17.5 million guaranteed.
They also started tweaking the playbook.
“I think he’s one of the premier playmakers in the league,” Del Rio said. “Certainly for us he’s a guy we’re going to give plenty of touches to. So whether we’re handing him the ball, throwing him the ball, whether he’s blocking, he’s a real good football player and we’ll do different things to get him involved.”
And keep him out of the training room.
“As far as taking hits, we’re going to monitor how much he gets like anybody does with their backs,” Del Rio said. “Regardless of who is carrying the ball, you’re always monitoring the number of reps, and you have a target and a goal. There will be games when you don’t get to it and you want to do it more, and then there will be times where maybe you go beyond it and you realize that you’re probably going to be sore the next day. That’s all part of it.”
Jones-Drew is eager for more, even willing to take on a “Larry Johnson(notes) workload.” Johnson set an NFL record with 416 carries in 2006, and added 41 receptions.
Jones-Drew doesn’t anticipate getting that many touches, not with Greg Jones(notes) and rookie Rashad Jennings(notes) in the mix for playing time. But he could get close to 400, if he stays healthy.
“The league has changed thanks to Brian Westbrook(notes) and Marshall Faulk(notes),” Jones-Drew said. “You can throw a short pass to a running back and it’ll be just like a carry because you’re getting the ball at the line of scrimmage. But you’re getting it in space and not taking the hits.”
Do you see anyone here pimping DeAngello Williams at #1?
